St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-05-14

mule lying in little glade. mat there
was an Indian near by, ready to draw
bead on me, had no doubt, and the idea
didn't rattle me as much as you might
suppose. reasoned that If there We're
two reds they would have run the mule
off instead of killing him. l believed
there was only one, and that he was some
Young warrior who was ambitious to
match cunning with me, and who wanted
the honor of having Outgeneraled me.
That tickled me Il bit | don't want to do
any boasting, but I've lived in the Indian
country all my life, and it never hap
pened that redSkin got very far ahead
of me as anybody knows of. 1t was
about 10 in the morning when got my
gentle hint. From the looks OF the body
Judged that the mule had been killed
that very morning. This made II pretty
clear that the redskin had not yet dis
covered my shelter. Otherwise he
would have attended to my case first.
My first care was to get out of the
neighborhood without leaving any trail,
and then to build IA small fire about
mile or so from my camp, and cut down,
brush and make decoy camp. The
fire used to cook my breakfast had
been built in hole in the ground and
carefully eXtinguished when it had an
Swered my purpose. The red would
smell the smoke of this fire half a mile
away, and | chucllled as thought of
him slIullling around there and waiting
for man about my size to come in and
be bored with bullet.
1.-The next move was to strike the
river just where the savage would hit it
if looking for my traps. 1t was guess
work, of course, but | surveyed the
ground, put his head ON my shoulders
for half an hour, and when waded back
| was in ambush in Il bunch of willows,
and he would have to show himfelf to
get to me. | reasoned that he would
find the fire and the counterfeit camp
by O'Clock. He would hang around
there until about before he gave up
looking for ne. Then he would slide
for the river, hoping to pick NE as
sat on the ground pulling the
pelts off my catch. had been
ginning to wish the climax would come,
when 4 sudden thought lifted me foot
high, and inside OF 4 minute | WAS Snak-
ing my way down the stream. 1t struck
me all in heap that | had reasoned
wrong. The red-siIin wouldn't come
my way ut all, nor come through the
woods, but would go further up the
river and come floating down along tie
right bank. which WAS heavily shaded,
and in the shadow. l came to stand
about quarter OF a mile below the
ambush, and in one OF the small
bends of the stream. | could now
spot had vacated. and what do you
suppose happened inside of ten min
uteS? Wei, sir, that Indian came float
ing down at the end Of an old log, and
when he reached the point opposite
where | had waited TO ambush him lie
rose UP, picked his rife OFT the log and
waded ashore, drawing the log after
him and landing it. Then he crept
softly into the willows, and ii | had
beed waiting in the old spot he would
have had my back to him, and | would
have been Il gOner. The cuSS had rea-
s0ned ii out for himself. lie had diScoy-
reasoned that | would lay for him
just where did. Then, to beat ME at
my game, he had gone up the stream
and tioated down to take me in the rear.
Sharp Indian. he was, but there was a
party by the name of Joe Wagner in
that neighb0rhoOd just then. | could
| have shot the red as he left the water,
for ! had mOnStrOuSly heavy rifle, but
| didn't want 70. | wanted to mOrtify
and humilate him first. In half an hour
he rpappeared and he was puzzled.
After standing Tor 4 rev minutes ne
made up his mind that | had posted
myself lower down, and he set his
log ahoat and comes drifting
along with only his nose above
the water. Just as he reached me he
pushed the log into the bank, waited for
a long three minutes, and then rose UP
and craWled ashore. As he rose up to
| get good view around him we were
not thirty feet apart. riZ too, rifle to
my shoulder. and yelled at him:
Bah! You are only a squaw at this
gamen
"WeH, sir; he was paralyzed-t
first case of the kind / ever saw. His
life fell to the earth, his jaw dropped,
his eyes bulged out, and | just did hate
TO pull the trigger and knock him over.
| Wouldn't have done it if | had thought
he would have promised to go home and
leave me alone, though somebody would
have had to pay for that mule"